Public humiliation is the weapon of choice for Denver officials who are so fed up with prostitution that they started broadcasting pictures of convicted johns this week in hopes of deterring would-be offenders.

A segment called "Johns TV" debuted Thursday on Denver's cable access television station. It features mug shots of 11 men convicted of soliciting prostitution, along with a stern warning that anyone who goes looking for a hooker can be arrested.

The idea has piqued some interest in San Francisco and Oakland, two cities that are already using novel strategies to discourage potential johns.

Many newspapers across the country routinely publish the photos of men convicted of soliciting prostitution, among other crimes, and several other cities have already started TV shows featuring johns: "BUSTED" in Orlando, Fla. ; "Shame TV" in Charlotte, N.C.; and in Calgary, Alberta, the "Calgary Ho Down. "

Denver officials said the television show idea came about as a response to complaints from residents who were tired of dealing with prostitution.

"When we heard the horror stories from the community -- finding condoms in back yards, sex in the alleys, children seeing people having sex in cars -- we knew we had to do something," said Andrew Hudson, spokesman for Mayor Wellington Webb. "We think this is a deterrent that will work. People won't want their wives, colleagues, bosses and members of their churches to see them on this show."

Civil libertarians say public shaming is a punishment that doesn't fit the crime and may be illegal.

"Certainly the public has a right to know who has been convicted of a crime,

but I believe that the act of proactively publicizing this into anybody's home is reaching far beyond what the penalty is described as in the law," said Sue Armstrong, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union's chapter in Colorado.

She said the ACLU is speaking out about the program and may support other legal efforts to abolish it. She also said the publication of a convicted offender's picture and name unfairly stigmatizes the person's family.

"The innocent in this are those who are related to the convicted," Armstrong said. "The families of the loved ones are also being penalized by this because they are being shamed."

San Francisco's approach to deterring potential johns is to send first-time offenders to a class on the personal perils and problems of prostitution.

More than 4,300 men have gone through the program, and fewer than 2 percent of graduates are arrested again for solicitation, authorities say.

P.J. Johnston, spokesman for Mayor Willie Brown, said the public humiliation approach was intriguing but it would have to be a program that is recommended by District Attorney Terence Hallinan before it is considered.

"While the city may be able to, I know that the mayor wouldn't move forward without the cooperation and the interest of the district attorney," Johnston said. "Any good ideas would be considered, but they would have to come from law enforcement if we were to take the initiative."

Hallinan is on vacation and unavailable for comment on the idea.

Oakland police and city officials said they liked the approach but were happy with their program, under which some offenders' cars have been seized.

Since 1997, 360 cars have been seized and more than $400,000 in fines generated under the Operation Beat Feet program, said Pelayo Llamas, a deputy city attorney.

"From talking to people in the neighborhood, it's helped," Pelayo said.

Oakland police have spoken with the city attorney about publishing the pictures of men who are convicted of soliciting prostitution, but there are no plans to do so, Pelayo said.

Oakland Police Sgt. Ian Haney of the vice/narcotics unit said he didn't think a program similar to Denver's would be much of a deterrent. Instead, Haney favors stiffer punishments for johns, prostitutes and pimps.

"We found that the same people keep turning up over and over again. It's not a one-shot thing," Haney said. "They're going to keep doing it unless there's some reason not to, and putting them in jail a few months seems to be more of a deterrent."

Community activists in Denver said they were happy with the program, even though they know prostitution will always exist.

"I see it as a deterrent," said Pamela Corvelli, a neighborhood activist who campaigned for the crackdown on prostitution. "We know we are not going to stop the problem. There is a reason why they call it the oldest profession in the world."